Starting March 27, 2025, we recommend using android-latest-release instead of aosp-main to build and contribute to AOSP. For more information, see Changes to AOSP.
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While there are a large number of file systems with implementations in the Linux
Kernel, many haven't been approved for production use in Android, and are not
supported in Android.
Android's test infrastructure, OTA mechanisms, update processes, and privacy
requirements depend on specific file system support. Not all file
systems are suitable for use on Android devices.
For example, Android requires support for file-based encryption through
fscrypt and file-based authentication through fsverity, so file systems that
don't support fscrypt or fsverity aren't suitable for production use.
Low level file system support
Beginning with Android 13, userspace only works with file
systems built into the GKI. Shipping a file system that doesn't have support
from Google's kernel team can leave users vulnerable to security issues and
isn't recommended.
The Android kernel team continues taking fixes for all file systems by
snapping to upstream Long Term Support (LTS) kernels. However, the following
file systems receive more frequent patches through the Android security
patch release schedule:
exfat (supported in kernel 5.10 and later)
ext4
f2fs
fuse
incfs
Vfat
EROFS
The following file system is deprecated and has limited support:
sdcardfs (only supported in kernel 4.14 and earlier)
Virtual file system support
In general, virtual file systems, including the following, are supported.
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Last updated 2025-06-12 UTC.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-06-12 UTC."],[],[],null,["# Android kernel file system support\n\nWhile there are a large number of file systems with implementations in the Linux\nKernel, many haven't been approved for production use in Android, and are not\nsupported in Android.\n\nAndroid's test infrastructure, OTA mechanisms, update processes, and privacy\nrequirements depend on specific file system support. Not all file\nsystems are suitable for use on Android devices.\n\nFor example, Android requires support for file-based encryption through\n`fscrypt` and file-based authentication through `fsverity`, so file systems that\ndon't support `fscrypt` or `fsverity` aren't suitable for production use.\n\nLow level file system support\n-----------------------------\n\nBeginning with Android 13, userspace only works with file\nsystems built into the GKI. Shipping a file system that doesn't have support\nfrom Google's kernel team can leave users vulnerable to security issues and\nisn't recommended.\n\nThe Android kernel team continues taking fixes for all file systems by\nsnapping to upstream Long Term Support (LTS) kernels. However, the following\nfile systems receive more frequent patches through the Android security\npatch release schedule:\n\n- `exfat` (supported in kernel 5.10 and later)\n- `ext4`\n- `f2fs`\n- `fuse`\n- `incfs`\n- `Vfat`\n- `EROFS`\n\nThe following file system is deprecated and has limited support:\n\n- `sdcardfs` (only supported in kernel 4.14 and earlier)\n\nVirtual file system support\n---------------------------\n\nIn general, virtual file systems, including the following, are supported.\n\n- `debugfs`\n- `overlayfs`\n- `procfs`\n- `sysfs`\n- `tmpfs`\n- `tracefs`\n\n| **Note:** Though `debugfs` is supported, as of Android 11, it's not mounted by default. If a user or device initiates a bug report, it's temporarily mounted to generate that report.\n\nRequest support for a new file system\n-------------------------------------\n\nIf you want to use a file system that isn't listed here, file a feature request\nin the [Android Issue Tracker](/docs/setup/contribute/report-bugs), then contact\n[kernel-team@android.com](mailto:kernel-team@android.com) to discuss your needs."]]
